Study at UC San Francisco finds 'alarming' hike in advanced prostate cancer across California

An "alarming" surge in advanced prostate cancer across California in the past decade may be linked to changes in guidelines that have reduced routine screenings for the disease.

At least  that's the conjecture in a story by Aidin Vaziri in recent e-editions of the San Francisco Chronicle about a new study at UCSF published in JAMA Network Open.

The study, which according to Vaziri analyzed nearly 388,000 prostate cancer cases between 2004 and 2021, "found that the number of advanced prostate cancer diagnoses statewide increased by 6.7% annually from 2011 to 2021."

Erin Van Blarigan

The Chronicle piece quotes Erin Van Blarigan, ScD, the study's led author and an associate professor professor at  the University of California, San Francisco, as believing "this overall rising trend is alarming and has occurred across age groups, regions of California, races, and ethnicities."

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the United States.

Although the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force in 2012 stopped recommending routine PSA testing for all men, citing concerns over  unnecessary treatments, "UCSF researchers suggest that the shift may have missed opportunities to catch aggressive cancers early, when treatments are more effective," the story indicates. 

California does not stand alone. Nationally, advanced cases of the disease have also risen since the screening guidelines changed. But the Golden State's annual climb is 6.7% as opposed to the countrywide percentage of 4.5. 

More information about screening guidelines can be found in Rollercoaster: How a man can survive his partner's breast cancer, a VitalityPress book that I, Woody Weingarten, its author, aimed at male caregivers.